To Our Honored Dead

A Memorial Day Observance

My feelings about holidays that commemorate and accept war as a historical inevitability are complicated.  I realize that millions have sacrificed their lives in acts of service to the nation.  That’s a deeply honorable choice, worthy of great respect.  However, wars aren’t really winnable, any more than executing murderers prevents murder.  Military conflicts are a tragic leftover of our slow cultural evolution, a technologically amplified version of behaviors other animals express when establishing territory and group hierarchy.

Norman McLaren, one of the finest directors of experimental short films who ever lived, put it more poetically than I can in words.  Here’s his 1952 film “Neighbours”.

Sunday’s Challenges

Our guide dog puppy-in-training has made it to the halfway point.

Grand Parade

77th Annual Rhododendron Festival

Deja Vu All Over Again?

There’s a book (and later film) by Dalton Trumbo, one of the “Hollywood 10”, a screenwriter blacklisted in the 1950s.  It’s called “Johnny Got His Gun”.  In that story, a wounded soldier is only able to tap messages in Morse Code using the back of his head on his hospital bed frame.  His face and limbs were removed in an explosion.  Those caring for him assume he’s been de-cerebrated and has no original thought to contribute.  I feel a bit like that.

Children’s Parade

77th Annual Rhododendron Festival

Jenniconography

WordPress’ latest updates have somehow blocked my ability to comment on other people’s blogs, so although I would have preferred to pass this reaction on directly at http://becomingjennie.wordpress.com/ , I’ll have to do it here. Perhaps those of you who appreciate photography and design will enjoy this kind of analysis.

I don’t know Jennie personally, but the care and craft she puts into her highly confessional blog was instrumental in making me want to start writing again, after a 30-year pause.  Her memoir “I Am Jennie” will be out July 10^th.  The book’s cover portrays her in a manner that says a lot to me.  Have a look:

Get Used To It

There’s more than one way to learn acceptance and understanding, but the fastest way I know is to make friends with people who are different than you are.